1. Scope of Invention
This invention relates generally to devices for the gathering, carrying and disposal of loose material gathered during lawn and yard maintenance, and more particularly to a collapsible, reusable lawn and yard debris receptacle for such purposes.
2. Prior Art
Maintaining yard and lawn areas involves the gathering, bundling or holding, transporting and removal of lawn and yard debris including leaves, grass clippings, branches, longer palm fronds and the like. The entire ongoing procedure involves placing the debris into a receptacle or container suitable for holding or retaining the debris, carrying the debris off for temporary storage and then placing the debris at a collection point where utility trash removal services will pick up and remove the receptacle or bundled portions of debris. However, these utility services will typically leave unbundled yard debris as it is difficult to deal with on a piece-by-piece basis.
One well known and conventional means used for this procedure is the utilization of large flexible plastic disposable trash bags or the more rigid reusable plastic or metal garbage containers. Both of these receptacle forms are acceptable for utility trash removal services. However, disposable plastic trash bags are very difficult to fill with yard and lawn debris, especially twigs, branches, longer palm fronds and other objects which can poke through or stick out of the thin plastic bag material. Utilization of the rigid trash can collectors of either metal or plastic are also difficult to use in that the longer pieces of branches and palm fronds will not fit into these containers and must either be mulched, cut or otherwise reduced in size to fit before being placed into such containers.
A number of prior art devices are known to applicant which are intended to in some ways fill this need in lawn and yard maintenance care as follows:
______________________________________ Patriksson 4,861,170 Bunn 5,378,220 Dougherty et al. 5,449,083 Beugin 4,006,928 Underwood et al. 4,561,480 LaFleur et al. 4,798,572 Roberts 4,854,003 Ricker 5,451,107 Ringer 3,747,653 Godfried et al. 5,364,188 ______________________________________
Of more applicability to the present invention, Dougherty, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,449,083 teaches a reusable and collapsible garden container for collecting and transporting loose debris. However, this invention requires rigid edge members for its deployment and use which limits storablity and would certainly appear to be unacceptable for utility trash pick up services. Likewise, the lawn bag caddy disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,066,928 by Beugin also includes rigid frame support members which limits storability and would likely be unacceptable for utility trash pick up services as such rigid frame members would certainly be damaged by the abusive manner in which such containers are emptied.
The leaf caddy disclosed by Underwood in U.S. Pat. No. 4,561,480 would appear to be suited for that limited purpose only, but larger pieces of yard debris and the storage of such debris would be difficult at best with this device. Further, utility trash pick up services would find this container to be unacceptable for trash pick up and removal.
The "superman" costume cleverly disguised as a flexible receptacle for collecting and transporting loose debris invented by Roberts and disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,854,003 would appear to be quite limiting in its alleged use in collecting lawn and yard debris. The user is likely to find himself becoming part of the debris contents in this device.
The invention by Ricker in U.S. Pat. No. 5,451,107 is generally similar to the leaf caddie in the above-discussed '480 patent with similar limitations for use. The receptacle for lawn debris invented by Ringer in U.S. Pat. No. 3,747,653 also includes rigid frame members which interact to hold the open end of this device in an in-use position, requiring one hand of the user to accomplish this procedure while attempting one handedly to force leaves into the open end thereof. The corner gathered lawn and leaf bag in U.S. Pat. No. 5,364,188 invented by Godfried is presumed to be disposable in its best form and would appear to be acceptable for utility trash pick up, but would be difficult to manipulate and store when full of lawn and yard debris.
The present invention provides a flexible, easily storable and reusable yard and lawn debris receptacle which may easily be deployed into a position atop the ground to be filled with all forms and sizes of lawn debris, including longer branches and palm fronds. The device is easily closeable, allowing longer pieces of debris to extend from each partially open end thereof, may easily be carried to a place of storage or into position for utility trash pick up and then, by providing dual spaced handles on each side of the device, emptying into a trash pick up vehicle is facilitated to increase its acceptability for this purpose.